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Napa Valley\u2019s Benessere Vineyards will be sold to the highest bidder at a May auction.<\/p>\n
Provided by Ned Bonzi and Daniel Wilson\/Concierge Auctions<\/p>\n
After lingering on the market for well over a year, one of Napa Valley\u2019s most idiosyncratic wineries will sell to the highest bidder in a May auction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The listing for Benessere Vineyards \u2014 which focuses on Italian grape varieties<\/a> and was the original home of Charles Shaw Winery, the brand behind Trader Joe\u2019s notorious Two Buck Chuck \u2014 goes live with Concierge Auctions on Wednesday. Potential bidders can register through May 13, when the auction opens; the property will sell on May 28.\u00a0<\/p>\n Benessere, a 43-acre St. Helena estate that includes a vineyard, winery, tasting room and two residences, originally hit the market in November 2024 for $35 million<\/a>. John Benish, who owns Benessere with his mother and four siblings, said the family has put the property on the market and pulled it off a few times. It was most recently listed for $28 million, but received \u201cno serious offers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The family hopes an auction will cast a wider net to potential buyers. There is no mandatory starting bid, but Concierge chief revenue officer Nick Leonard said the company expects it to start between $8-$12 million. \u201cThe idea was to\u00a0kickstart the sale,\u201d Benish said, and market the property beyond California, as the auction house has \u201carms that stretch all over the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The 43-acre St. Helena estate includes a vineyard, winery, tasting room and two residences.<\/p>\n Provided by Ned Bonzi and Daniel Wilson\/Concierge Auctions<\/p>\n In recent years, most winery auctions have been distress-driven, the result of bankruptcy<\/a> or foreclosure<\/a>. But as the wine industry crisis continues<\/a>, Leonard said he could see more sales going the auction route due to the sluggish real estate market<\/a> for wineries and vineyards. In 2025, Villa San Juliette, a 160-acre wine estate in Paso Robles, went to auction after failing to sell. Listed for as much as $22 million, the price dropped to roughly $15 million before it went to auction, where it sold for $6.7 million, according to Zillow<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n If a property isn\u2019t generating much interest, an auction \u201ccreates urgency,\u201d Leonard said. At the same time, because the bidding process is transparent, it makes the buyer \u201cfeel very comfortable that they didn\u2019t overpay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Concierge is even launching a new wine division. \u201cI think the state of the wine industry being in a little bit of flux \u2014 of uncertainty \u2014 has led to increased seller demand,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cIf our inbound phone calls are any indication, we\u2019ll definitely see more wineries selling at auction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wine estates are challenging to price, Leonard said, because it\u2019s \u201cdifficult to compare apples to apples.\u201d The value of these types of properties varies due to many factors, including size, vineyard acreage, winery production permits, regional cachet and whether there\u2019s a home on the estate.\u00a0<\/p>\n A photo of the 2005\u00a0Benessere Napa Valley Sangiovese, the winery\u2019s flagship.\u00a0<\/p>\n Craig Lee\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n Benish\u2019s parents purchased the St. Helena property in 1994 for $1.5 million after Charles Shaw, then known for producing Beaujolais-style Gamay wines, filed for bankruptcy. (Later, wine magnate Fred Franzia<\/a>, co-founder of Bronco Wine Co., bought the Charles Shaw brand and created the juggernaut that\u2019s colloquially known as Two Buck Chuck.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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